Incidence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Human Fecal Bacteria in Well Water

Many people from the southeastern part of Kentucky receive their water from natural underground aquifers for everyday use. These aquifers, often dubbed “wells”, are created by digging, driving, or drilling into the Earth and are often relatively shallow, especially well in the Appalachian region. Because these wells are shallow and often not properly lined, contamination exists as a major problem. Most contamination comes from fecal matter that may lead to the presence of antibiotic resistance bacteria and their genes. Volunteer participants collected water samples direct from tap in clean, but unsterile vessels. The DNA was isolated using MOBIO kits. Samples were screened for antibiotic resistance genes using polymerase chain reaction followed by agarose electrophoresis. Samples appear to have the tet(A) and tet(Q) genes and were screened for additional antibiotic resistance genes